The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre

My wife and I had a short break in York, and hit on the Bar Convent by pure chance, through my wife's research interests. We couldn't have wished for a more perfect place to stay - a beautiful, historic building, a spacious, comfortable, immaculately clean room (with air-con - a must in a heatwave!) and a fascinating exhibition (well worth a visit, whether you are staying or not). Breakfast was excellent, all the staff are friendly and welcoming and there's a lovely, peaceful garden in which to relax with a pot of tea! The lasting impression is of a serenity that envelopes you as soon as you walk in, and marks this out as a unique gem of a place - and all just a few minutes' walk from the station and the city centre. We look forward to a return visit!

Lovely place to stay with kids. Great location near the train station and within walking distance of the city centre, exactly where we needed to be. Friendly, helpful staff. Good breakfast and an amazing setting to eat it in. My 14 year old loved the chair in the lift, it's the little things :) We'd definitely stay again.

Lovely overnight stay in a beautiful historic building. Room was good size & very clean, had lots of storage space & a view of the city walls from the window. The property has a garden with seating, a cafe serving delicious homemade cakes, an exhibition relating to its history & a small souvenir shop. |Beautiful atrium with a tiled floor where Continental & full English breakfasts are served. |Staff were very welcoming & friendly, in fact, when we returned after checking out to collect our luggage (we had attended the York 10k race that morning) the lovely lady in duty made us a free pot of tea (despite n’t think this is a normal service though!!!). |Location about 5 minutes walk from the train station & just across the road from Micklegate Bar & the city walls. Pleasant walk down Micklegate into the historic city centre. No parking though but a large council run car park just around the corner on Nunnery lane (fees would apply). |Would be return here? Absolutely!!! So quiet at night & comfiest beds I’ve slept on in a guest house for a long time!|Would highly recommend!!!

We chose to stay at the Bar Convent after some careful research into a comfortable, competitively-priced, unpretentious and conveniently placed location to visit the Viking North exhibition and other first rate cultural offerings the city had to offer. Not far from the railway station and within easy walking distance of decent restaurants, bars and cafes, the Bar Convent is itself a living museum with many interesting features in its own right: breakfast room with 19th century Maw’s tile floor, cast-iron Coalbrookdale bench, chair and plant stands and a quiet garden where breakfast may be taken in the summer months; and a historic chapel. Our (superior) room was clean and spacious, simply and comfortably furnished, with a clean modern bathroom with walk-in shower. Tea and coffee facilities were provided with biscuits. It was a goodish space to relax after a day of sightseeing. Slight negatives: the pillows were hard and uncomfortable, the slightly spartan ethos of the decor more in keeping with the austerity of a religious order rather than a more relaxing environment. Breakfast was fine, with a fair set of options including cooked breakfast with vegetarian options, efficiently prepared alongside self-service choices. With higher quality ingredients it could have been excellent, rather than merely filling! Overall, a great place to stay, an alternative to so many of the many corporate spaces and hotels on offer throughout the city. Stay!

My friends and I stayed here for just one night but we had a wonderful experience and would certainly stay again. The location is perfect, 10 minutes from the train station and another 10 minutes to the town. There are numerous pubs within spitting distance of the hotel so ideal base to visit York. The hotel was fantastic. Really comfy beds and super clean and a fantastic breakfast cooked to order. The staff were also so welcoming and helpful. I would fully recommend staying here.

We stayed in a double garden view room. The room and bed size were excellent. The bathroom and shower were good sizes (not tiny). We were impressed. The floors were a little squeaky because it is an old building but this wasn’t an issue for us. Breakfast was also very good. Would definitely stay here again.

Well positioned, especially if arriving by train as it's a 5 minute walk from the station. Easy access into York centre. Room was fine with everything expected provided. Breakfast was lovely. We enjoyed it in.the lovely garden which made it particularly special.

Second time I’ve stayed here. The rooms are spotless, breakfast fantastic and staff very friendly. Located within walking distance of everything. Very affordable too.

I can't rave enough about this place. I stayed here for one night. Hospitality was on point, my room was super cute and impeccably clean, and breakfast was fantastic. Major thanks to Hannah at the front desk for her kindness, and for sharing Bar Convent's compelling history with me. I'm so grateful. Definitely stay here if you're planning a stay in the charming city of York. Great location by the train station and city centre as well!

Made a visit to this remarkable place! Fabulous museum telling the story of remarkable and faithful women. Lunch was outstanding - one of the best we had in York! A hidden gem in a very special city.

Without a doubt the worst night I've ever had in a hotel, and it breaks my heart to say so, because the staff is lovely and it was a tidy, comfortable room at a reasonable price in a great location. However, this is a working Convent, so their Bells ring every fifteen minutes, though the woman who checked me in assured me they would stop at night. However, on MY night there was a new guy at the front desk who didn't know to shut them off, so I didn't sleep at all. Ironically, it's called a Living Heritage Center, and I left wondering what Catholic Heritage they're talking about- The Inquisition? The Auto-da-Fe? Sleep deprivation is a form of torture, so the following day was well below average, psych wise... Sure, they're nice people- everyone I met in York was nice, but the true measure of Goodwill is how a business handles unexpected catastrophe, and they handled it about as well as United Airlines handles their overbooked flights: "Sorry- bit of a bother with the old Campanile last night". I think I deserved a bit more compensation than that, but I was too exhausted to put up a fight- hopefully, your mileage may vary, as they say... But, you've been warned.

a lovely tranquil place for coffee breakfast or lunch plus a lot of special events the convent is a haven of peace madonnas and good taste